MORE NEWS, 12-2: NEW YORK WANTS GREAT LAKES WIND; LA STEPS UP TO THE ELECTRIC CAR; LED IS THE BETTER BULB; A NEW ENERGY INVESTMENT VEHICLE

NEW YORK WANTS GREAT LAKES WIND
NY seeking developer for Great Lakes wind project
Carolyn Thompson, December 1, 2009 (AP)

"New York state is looking for developers to build and operate wind turbines in the Great Lakes as part of a plan to use more renewable energy.

"The New York Power Authority [NYPA]… invited potential developers to submit proposals for offshore wind projects in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The authority plans to award one or more projects a year from now…The offshore turbines would be the first for New York and among the first in North America…"

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"The state-owned utility wants to see them producing between 120 and 500 megawatts of electricity by 2015, the year Gov. David Paterson has set for the state to be meeting 45 percent of its electricity needs through improved energy efficiency and clean renewable energy…

"NYPA is seeking one or more developers to construct, operate and maintain 40 to 200 turbines two to seven miles off shore in one or both of the lakes…[at an estimated total project cost of] $700 million to $1 billion, which the owners could make back in power sales. NYPA would buy all of the power…which would be connected to the grid via an offshore substation."

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"The state, working with environmental groups, has identified potential locations that wouldn't interfere with shipping or wildlife migration…Lakes Erie and Ontario are the smallest of the five Great Lakes, which together form the largest surface freshwater system on earth…

"Similar projects are being considered in Canada, on the northern side of Lake Erie, as well as off the Toronto shoreline of Lake Ontario."


LA STEPS UP TO THE ELECTRIC CAR
Mayor Villaraigosa Announces Southern California Regional Plug-in Electric Vehicle Plan; Collaborative Plan Will Have Region Plug-in Ready by Fall 2010
December 1, 2009 (City of Los Angeles)

"Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the Southern California Regional Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Plan…a collaboration between cities, utilities, automakers and others in the Southern California region who will work to actively support the region and build the necessary infrastructure for the commercial launch of electric vehicles, which is scheduled for Fall 2010…

"The regional collaborative group currently includes: Southern California Edison, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Southern California Public Power Authority, California Electric Transportation Coalition, Electric Research Power Institute, Southern California AQMD, Nissan, GM, Ford, and the cities of Burbank, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Ana, and Santa Monica."

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"The collaborative Electric Vehicle Plug-In Readiness Plan has the following eight objectives…1. Collaborate to help educate customers and stakeholders…[about]the environmental benefits…electricity as an alternative fuel… public-access charging infrastructure; and…[getting] plug-in ready…2. Collaborate and share information to prepare the LA Region for adoption of PEVs as a major market…apply for or administer grant funding…[and] implement best practices…

"3. Collaborate on charging infrastructure…4. Cities will work with stakeholders to develop and/or support purchase and ownership incentives…5. Cities will work to streamline the process for installation of new charging infrastructure…"

There is room for improvement in consumer awareness. (click to enlarge)

"6. Cities will review and revise where appropriate, local city building codes, standards, ordinances, etc….7. Utilities will develop a robust and streamlined customer service process that can scale up to support large numbers…8. Cities and Utilities will collaborate on fleet acquisition plans, helping drive deployment…

"Along with the plug-in ready plan, the Mayor announced a number of incentives that would be offered…[1] Home Charger Early Adapter Incentive Program to subsidize the installation up to $2,000 for the first 5,000 residential customers…[2] Off-peak electrical charging rate of 8.5 cents per kWh (6pm to 2am)…[3] City and State incentives including, but not limited to, preferred and/or free parking, high occupancy lanes…[4] Upgrading the 400 existing public charging sites within one year of the adoption of a new federally-approved charging standard…[5] Implementing a streamlined process for the installation of home charging units…"


LED IS THE BETTER BULB
LED Bulbs Save Substantial Energy, a Study Finds
Eric A. Taub, November 29, 2009 (NY Times)

"Does the latest generation of energy-saving light bulbs save energy? A comprehensive study conducted by Osram, the German lighting company, provides evidence that they do.

"While that may seem self-evident, until the release of…[Life Cycle Assessment of Illuminants; A Comparison of Light Bulbs, Compact Fluorescent Lamps and LED Lamps] the answer remained unclear…While it is indisputable that LEDs use a fraction of the electricity of a regular bulb to create the same amount of light, if more energy were used in the manufacturing and distribution process, then the lighting industry could be traveling down a technological dead end."

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"The study results show that over the entire life of the bulb — from manufacturing to disposal — the energy used for incandescent bulbs is almost five times that used for compact fluorescents and LED lamps.

"The energy used during the manufacturing phase of all lamps is insignificant — less than 2 percent of the total. Given that both compact fluorescents and LEDs use about 20 percent of the electricity needed to create the same amount of light as a standard incandescent, both lighting technologies put incandescents to shame…"

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"To calculate what is know as a Life Cycle Assessment of LED lamps, Osram compared nearly every aspect of the manufacturing process, including the energy used in manufacturing…packaging…and transporting them…It also looked at…the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created by each process, the acid rain potential, eutrophication (excessive algae), photochemical ozone creation, the release of harmful chemical compounds, and the resultant scarcity of gas, coal, and oil…

"…[T[he amount of electricity needed for each process, the energy used and the emissions created as a result, were also calculated. In China and Malaysia, where part of the LED production took place, that meant coal and natural gas respectively. In Germany, where the lamps would be sold, electricity is created from a mix of coal, nuclear and renewable sources…The results were certified by three university professors in Denmark and Germany as adhering to the [accepted] standard…"


A NEW ENERGY INVESTMENT VEHICLE
First Trust Launches New Exchange Traded Fund (GRID) Based on NASDAQ OMX Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index
November 17, 2009 (Clean Edge)

"The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., Clean Edge, Inc., and First Trust Advisors L.P. have announced the launch of a new exchange traded fund (ETF) -- the First Trust NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (NASDAQ:GRID). It is based on the NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index (NASDAQ:QGRD), a benchmark for the smart grid and electric infrastructure sector. The ETF is managed by First Trust Advisors L.P. and listed on NASDAQ®.

"QGRD is a modified market-capitalization index and includes companies that are primarily involved in electric grid; electric meters, devices and networks; energy storage and management; and enabling software used by the smart grid and electric infrastructure sector."

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"First Trust's ETF, GRID, is designed to correspond to the price and yield performance of the index on which it is based. ETFs are financial products that trade like shares of stock and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day…

"The NASDAQ OMX® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index is calculated in real-time across the combined exchanges and is disseminated by NASDAQ OMX in U.S. Dollars. The Index commenced calculation on September 22, 2009 with a value of 250.00…"